Legendary close-up magician Derek Dingle
(July 1, 1937-January 11, 2004) died on Sunday
morning at the age of 66. Dingle was
instrumental in changing the face of
close-up magic in the second half of the
twentieth century. His novel
presentational approaches combined with
multiple endings to his routines are
what made his magic stand out. He was
also a highly skilled card and coin
technician and was commonly referred to
in the press as "the greatest card
manipulator in the world." His two books
"Dingle's Deceptions" (1971) and "The
Complete Works Of Derek Dingle" (1982)
contain most of his outstanding
routines. He has also released several
sets of lecture notes, videos and has
published many original routines and
techniques in magic magazines. Later
this month he was planning to embark on
a lecture tour throughout France and an
appearance at the Blackpool convention
in England. A memorial will take place
in a few weeks at his favorite pub in New York City.(1/12)--A memorial has been scheduled
for Sunday Feb. 8 at 2-5pm at Ryan's
Daughter (350 East 85th Street - Bet.
1st-2nd Ave.) in New York City. If you
are planning to attend please RSVP to:
derek@palookaproductions.com.(1/13)

"Mondo
Magic With Benn & Korn" has been
mentioned as a new television special to
air on the A&E channel this year. A
Hollywood Reporter article reported
that it is "a showcase for 'street'
magicians J.B. Benn and Chris Korn." Not
mentioned is that René Lavand will
appear on the show. To read the Jan. 5
article by Andrew Wallenstein titled
"A&E Bio Includes Series, TV Movies"
click:
HERE.(1/12)

John
E. McLaughlin who is the deputy
director of the CIA and the number two
person in the organization is also a
magician. McLaughlin is featured in a
Washington Post article that reported,
"At the end of the interview,
McLaughlin, a master magician and always
the analyst, ripped to shreds a recent
Washington Post article about the CIA.
See, he was saying, seldom are things
what they appear to be -- even when you
know you are being fooled. Then he
unfolded the same newspaper page --
unripped. 'Now, you're probably
thinking, how could I top that?'
McLaughlin said quietly. With that, the
door behind his desk swung open, and out
popped the CIA director. 'He does
everything,' Tenet said, his arm around
McLaughlin's shoulders. 'He's a real
partner.'" To read the Jan. 9 article by
Dana Priest titled "The CIA's
'Anonymous' No. 2" click:
HERE.(1/12)

Jack
Arthur Avis (July 27, 1921-January 8,
2004) died on Thursday at the age of
83. Avis is best known for the hundreds
of routines he contributed to magic
magazines throughout his life and for
his "Siva Count" card sleight. Two books
featuring his magic were released
recently with Vis A Vis (with John
Derris 1997) and Ahead of the Pack (with
Lewis Jones 2002). At one time he
performed under the stage name Siva
which is Avis spelled backwards.(1/12)

David Copperfield appeared on the
Friday Jan. 9 edition of Inside Edition
where he gave a tour of his New York
apartment and discussed his collections
and upcoming tour. The show will re-air
in some markets on Monday – check local
listings.(1/12)

The
exposure of Houdini's Metamorphosis
at the Appleton museum is reported in a
Montreal Gazette article that "Houdini
himself understood about magic and
daylight: in 1926, on his deathbed, he
told his brother Theo to burn all his
stage gear. Instead Theo gave it to a
protegé, from whom it found its way to
museum curator Kim Louagie, who now
plans to reveal the secret. Her
exhibition might also open the curtains
on other Houdini tricks." To read the
Jan. 8 article titled "Keep Houdini's
secrets" click:
HERE.(1/12)

David Blaine's book Mysterious Stranger
is given a glowing review in The
Malaysia Star where they report, "Blaine
does an amazing job of tightening every
loose end -- like he does for his
death-defying stunts -- to ensure that
every micro-millimetre of the book is
worth the paper it is printed on, such
that you will have a life-enriching
experience reading it and believing in
it." To read the Jan. 9 article by
Catherine Siow titled "Endearing enigma"
click:
HERE.(1/12)

"The
World's Greatest Magic Show" at the
Sahara in Las Vegas is featured in a Las
Vegas Sun article that describes Kevin
James as the consultant on the show and
quotes him, "The best part about our
show… is that instead of having one
magician trying to do an hour and half
with some filler material, you get seven
or eight doing their absolute best 10
minutes. The fans are getting all A-plus
material." To read the Jan. 9 article by
Jerry Fink titled "Juggling Acts:
Ever-changing lineup highlights 'The
World's Greatest Magic Show' at Sahara
Theater" click:
HERE.(1/12)

Kevin Spencer's appearance on The
Saturday Early Show on CBS-TV is
reported in the news programs website,
"For thousands of years, magicians have
been using their craft as a form of
entertainment. But illusionists Kevin
and Cindy Spencer discovered a whole new
use for their tricks: making patient's
ailments disappear." To read the Jan. 10
report titled "Healing With Magic"
click:
HERE.(1/12)

Peter Phillips was honored by the Queen
of England with an "Order of the
British Empire" award for his pioneering
work in insolvency issues with financial
firm Kroll Buchler Phillips. A Hendon &
Finchley Times article reported that
"When not conjuring people out of
financial scrapes, Mr Phillips is a keen
magician although he is unlikely to swap
bulls and bears for rabbits and hats in
the near future." To read the Jan. 8
article by Hugh Christopher titled
"Conjuring up honours" click:
HERE.(1/12)

Dany
Larry who appeared with his show
Magic Storm at the Casino du Liban in
Lebanon is featured in a Daily Star
article that reported, "It is a
glamorous mix of fun stage acts, with
girls dancing in short dresses, at times
in Pharaonic style then changing to
Broadway costumes and ballet skirts." To
read the Jan. 9 article titled "An
evening of magic and variety theater at
Casino du Liban" click:
HERE.(1/12)